Italy’s far-right surge spells little change for weary migrants

In a derelict car park a stone’s throw from the centre of Rome live dozens of mostly African migrants, who sleep in tents while dreaming of escaping to northern Europe.

The March 4 general election saw parties promising mass expulsions of illegal immigrants make big gains, but in reality little will change for those huddled in the campsite.

Their makeshift homes have been provided by the Baobab Experience, a volunteer organisation which has been working with migrants since 2015 despite repeated evictions and police confiscating their materials.

Kicked out of their original home in an old glassworks near Rome’s Tiburtina train station just before Christmas 2015, Baobab’s present shelter for migrants is a campsite that is under constant threat.